Flyers trade for Islanders captain Streit

The Flyers acquired the rights to veteran defenseman Mark Streit from the New York Islanders Wednesday and are hopeful of reaching a fast accord with him on a contract. Judging by the talk in the Streit, there seems a good chance of that happening.

“Obviously I’m excited to get traded to Philadelphia,” said Streit, 35, a pending unrestricted free agent. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen the next few weeks – or days. (That’s) part of my agent’s job to work that out.”

The Islanders received a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2014 and minor league winger Shane Harper in the exchange for Streit’s negotiating rights. It’s believed Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren and Streit’s agent, Pat Brisson, may already have commenced negotiations.

“Mark is a player we would have had interest in on July 5,” said Holmgren, referencing the belated start to the free agency period. “We now have exclusive negotiating rights and we are hopeful that we can get an agreement in place prior to him becoming a UFA.”

It sounds like Holmgren has every reason to be optimistic.

“Philly has an unbelievable team,” Streit said. “It’s a great franchise and a great city and it’s a hockey town, for sure. The fans there are great and that’s why I always liked playing in Philly. The team is really good. It’s young and fast and it would be a great honor to play for the Flyers.”

Streit, who hails from Switzerland and has represented his nation in two Olympics, was an effective locker room leader as the Isles’ captain, while scoring six goals and 27 points in logging impressive time totals in all 48 games last season.

“He’s a tremendous guy,” Flyers defenseman Bruno Gervais said of his former Islanders blue line partner. “He was a captain in New York because he works really, really hard ... and he’s a really smart hockey player.”

Despite Streit’s age, he only has seven seasons of NHL treadwear on his legs, and could be a very beneficial signing for the Flyers. He is a credible puck-mover at the blue line, that rarest of commodities, and could be a stalwart on the power play. This at a time when Kimmo Timonen is likely prepping for one last season.

“He can move the puck incredibly well,” Gervais said of Streit. “He can log a lot of minutes for a team, and he has a great one-timer. But he’s a dual threat because he’s a great passer as well. He’d be a great addition to our power play, but also should score a lot of goals 5-on-5 because he loves to jump into the play (in the attack zone).”

An overage draft pick for the Montreal Canadiens (ninth round in 2004 at age 26), Streit played three years with the Habs, then joined the Islanders as a free agent in 2008. He led them in scoring his first season there with 16 goals and 56 points. But after two superb seasons Streit was cross-checked by teammate Matt Moulson during an Islanders intra-squad scrimmage in September of 2010. He fell awkwardly into the boards and wound up missing the entire season with a shoulder injury. Many observers feel he hasn’t quite regained his pre-injury form.

Streit made $4.1 million last season, and according to Newsday turned down an offer to re-sign with the Islanders recently despite an offer of three years at an average of nearly $5 million per. Holmgren and Brisson are believed to be working toward a four-year agreement perhaps averaging slightly more than that, and if that comes to pass, Streit would turn 40 in the last year of such a pact.

Yet Streit showed this past season to still be an effective player in critical situations. He scored three goals and had five points in a six-game loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs.

Now there is work to be done in the negotiating room. If that yields a $5 million-plus cap hit as expected, there is yet another reason to believe that this month will end with both Danny Briere and Ilya Bryzgalov written off the books via the compliance buyout route.

“I’m pretty confident,” Streit said when asked about reaching a deal with the Flyers. “I think that maybe they need a few days or weeks, but I’m pretty positive. It’d be awesome to play for the Flyers. The future is bright.

“I believe the Flyers will be in the playoffs next year. They have the skill and the physical part of it. It’s a great group and I’d love to join that team.”